Gemotions

The light filtering through the gaps in the boarded-up windows made the house feel like a tomb. He couldn't sleep. The hammering had become a constant, echoing in his skull. Every vibration was a threat.

He knew he was being irrational. He knew it. But he couldn't stop the tremors that wracked his body. He kept picturing the neighbor, that blank, impassive face. He saw him in the shadows, watching, waiting.

He crept to the window. The neighbor was there, but he was alone. A single light burned in the new building. The scene was still, and yet, unbearable. He felt the cold touch of dread on the back of his neck.